Strange Concrete Buildings of the World

   Office center “1000″ a.k.a. Banknote (Kaunas, Lithuania)

Architects: Rimas Adomaitis, Raimundas Babrauskas, Darius Siaurodinas

Dates: 2005-2008

 The Puerta de Europa towers a.k.a Gate of Europe a.k.a Torres KIO (Madrid, Spain)

Architects:Philip Johnson and John Burgee 

Dates: 1996 

Walt Disney Concert Hall (Los Angeles, California, USA)

Architects:Frank Gehry

Dates: 1987 – 2003

Edificio Mirador (Madrid, Spain)

Architects: MVRDV

Dates: 2004

Turning Torso (Malmö, Sweden)

Architects: Santiago Calatrava

Dates: 2005

Nakagin Capsule Tower (Tokyo, Japan)

Architects: Kisho Kurokawa

Dates: 1972

Forest Spiral – Hundertwasser Building (Darmstadt, Germany)

Architects: Heinz M. Springmann 

Dates: 2000

Dancing Building (Prague, Czech Republic)

Architects: Frank Gehry

Dates: 1996

HAVE  A NICE DAY :)

Characteristics and Surface Types

Agglomerates 

Shiny - Looks like Terrazzo, but the marble/quartz chips are in a polymer resin & marble dust binder. Also known as "composite engineered stone". Silestone and Ceasarstone are in this agglomerate category because they are over 90% quartz chips and dust with a polymer resin binder.

Bluestone

Relatively dense sandstone. Tones of blueSidewalks - garages - pavement - driveways. Colored with pigments or acid reactive stains. Stamped, textured, all finishes, green, purple. "Pennsylvania Bluestone" variety - uniform blue/gray and highly absorbent.

Concrete Slab Treatments

-Stamped-

-Exposed-

Sidewalks - garages - pavement - driveways. Colored with pigments or acid reactive stains. Stamped, textured, all finishes.

Concrete Tiles

Concrete (cement) body. Some known as "encaustic tile". App. 3/4" thick. Many shapes, colors, and sizes. Extruded and cast.

Flagstone / Sandstone

Flagstone is a generic name usually referring to sandstone.

Building with Stone

STONE or rock has been used as building material as early as human civilization can recall. There are several reasons why stone have been the main choice for building construction from the olden day till modern time of today. Stone is durable, fireproof, bug and vermin proof as well as rot free. While some log and wood-frame building will tend to crumble or decay after half a century or so, a well build stone structure will last more than centuries long. Stone can be categorized to many different type based on their mineral and chemical composition. To name a few, there are limestone, granite, marble,sandstone and many more. Here are some of the famous buildings that made of stone.

The image of the Roman arena which is build out of limestone in Verona, Northern Italy.

 Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta, Georgia, USA were build out of limestone.

Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire, England were build from Carboniferous sandstone.

The Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt were build from entirely limestone.

Another magnificent building made of stone, the Mont Saint Michel in France  

Top 10 Tallest Concrete Building

Just to share with you all the top 10 tallest building on earth!

Concrete cores in tall buildings are much more complex than in conventional buildings.
Their design is not only structurally imperative, but the fundamental to the efficiency and effectiveness of the building.

1. Trump International Hotel & Tower, Las Vegas

Height: 423 meters

2. CITIC Plaza, Guangzhou

Height: 390 meters

3. Central Plaza, Hong Kong

Height: 374 meters

4. Almas Tower, Dubai

Height: 360 meters

5. Shimao International Plaza, Shanghai

Height: 333 meters

6. Q1, Australia

Height: 323m

7. Wenzhou Trade Centre, Wenzhou

Height: 322m

8. Nina Tower, Hong Kong

Height: 319m

9. HHHR Tower, Dubai

Height: 318m

10. Sky Tower, New Zealand

Height: 312m

Have a nice day! :)

Building with Bricks

Bricks are one of the most commonly used building materials amongst the others because there are many advantages that buildings which are built with bricks have compared to others. 

The world's highest brick tower of St. Martin's Church in Landshut, Germany

Aesthetic Appeal
The most appealing factor about bricks buildings is the aesthetic value of it. Brick possesses natural and infinite pleasant colours of burnt clays. Its colour formation is achieved through a complicated chemical reaction during the firing process. In contrast to the color of stained body, brick color is permanent and will not fade during weathering process which means the maintenance cost of bricks is zero. Different clay compositions, firing temperatures, or kiln atmosphere can lead to different colours. By proper control of these factors, bricks can be made to exhibit endless variety of natural and attractive colours. Bricks' natural colours combined with the extreme flexibility in applications produce aesthetic results which are always personal and everlasting.


Like concretes, brick walls can withstand heat which provides fire protection. Bricks have fire resistance period of 90 minutes each for structural adequacy, integrity and insulation. When there's a fire, bricks can prevent the passage of flames and hot gases from getting through cracks in the wall. besides that, brick walls have the ability to provide sufficient insulation such that the side of the wall away from the fire does not exceed a predefined or extraordinary rise in temperature. 


Sound Insulation
Brick has a great level of sound insulation. As far as acoustic insulation is concerned, brick wall provides good sound insulation property due to its dense structure. The thickness and density of brick will deaden noise transmission and will deflect noise from streets, neighbouring homes.


Flexible Application
Using bricks in construction makes everything easier because of its flexibility of application during the construction process.The high compressive strength of fired clay bricks has been exploited for millennia to build structures ranging from single-storey huts to massive public buildings and enormous bridges and viaducts. In particular, it can be used for loadbearing structures which greatly simplify the construction process so as to save materials, time, and labor. Besides, brick can be made into convenient shape and size to facilitate the construction work.

Building with concrete

    Concrete is used more than any other man- made material in the world. It is ion of the most durable building materials as it provides superior fire resistance and can gain strength over time. Concrete structures can have a longer service life compared to other building materials. Reinforced concrete, prestressed concrete and precast concrete are the most widely used types of concrete functional extensions in modern days.

Sustainable benefits of concrete structure:

Energy efficiency

    Energy used in producing and combining the raw materials of the concrete is relatively small as compared to most man- made structural building materials, although large amounts of carbon dioxide are produced by the chemical reactions in cement manufacture. Moreover, energy requirements for transportation of concrete are low because it is usually manufactured within 100 kilometers of the job site from local resources. Also, air leakage from concrete walls are far lesser (compared to wood frames), this accounts less percentage of energy loss. Concrete's thermal mass reduces temperature swings inside and minimizes heating and cooling costs, this increase the efficiency of both residential and commercial buildings. To create an energy efficient building, modern concrete wall systems use both external insulation and thermal mass ,insulation reduces energy loss through the building envelope, thermal mass uses walls to store and release energy.

Fire safety

    Concretes do not burn! Therefore, it is more resistant to fire than wood or steel. Concrete has lower risk of collapse and is an effective fire shield, providing safe means of escape and protection for occupants. Precast concrete (cast-in-place and hollow) are the materials for producing non-combustible construction.

Earthquake safety

     Large earthquakes can generate large shear loads on structures. Concrete has strong compression strength, but is weak in tension. Shear loads of large earthquakes cause tensional and compressional loads to the structure. These risks can be reduced through seismic retrofitting of at-risk buildings.

    Concrete’s lateral stiffness also provides the best resistance to high winds, hurricanes, tornadoes that result in minimal horizontal movement.

Stones

What are stones?

   Stones are naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals (mineraloids). Stones are classified according to their mineral content and the process of their formation. Most of these minerals can be identified by their color, hardness and crystal formation. However, stones are often difficult to identify because many stones look similar to each other, but are actually different from each other. Generally, there are three types of stones, namely sedimentary, igneous, and also metamorphic.

Sedimentary Stones

Sedimentary rocks are types of stone that are formed by the deposition of material at the earth's surface and within bodies of water.

Igneous Stones

Igneous rock is formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava.

Metamorphic

Metamorphic stones originates as a result of natural change from one type of stone to another type by the mixed action of heat, pressure and minerals.

Click to watch! 

Blocks

What is block?

   A block is a large rectangular brick used in constructing a building. They also known as a concrete masonry unit (CMU) – also called concrete block, cement block, and foundation block. 

  Concrete blocks are made from cast concrete which is the mixture of Portland cement, aggregate, usually sand and fine gravel. Sand and fine gravel are used for high density blocks, whereas industrial wastes are used as aggregate in low density blocks. 

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Blocks Vs. Bricks

What are the differences between blocks and brick?

   Block, a.k.a. concrete masonry unit (CMU) are a concrete product which is made of cement or cinders, whereas brick are made of clay.

       In terms of size, modular brick are 3-5/8" x 3-5/8" x 7-5/8" With a 3/8" mortar joint, each brick is 4" x 8". Standard block are 7-5/8" x 7-5/8" x 15-5/8, giving you 8x16 with the joint.There are bigger brick and smaller block, but those are the standard sizes of brick and block. In short, brick is generally smaller than block.

      In terms of usage, brick are used for interior of exterior finish. They are mostly used for looks because they do not bear weight. i.e. : fireplace surrounds, exterior walls, etc.. Block is often used as partitions in interior applications, and structural in exterior applications. They can handle tons of weight. Split-face block are usually used on large commercial buildings as exterior (or sometimes interior) finish.

      However, both block and brick are having some similarities. They are fire-resistant because they have a lot of thermal mass which helps them retain heat and makes up for their relatively low insulation value. Also, they are insect-proof.

In conclusion, block and brick are similar but not the same!






Thank you for reading. :)

Bricks

What is brick?

A brick is a rectangular shaped blocks of ceramic material used to build structures such as building, block paving and pavement by arranging in rows and columns. Bricks can be categorized in different function based on their shapes and materials to play different roles in construction process. It has been known as the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.

The different types of bricks

There are 3 ways that bricks can be shaped:

Solid - Flat on all sides, a perfect rectangle.

Frogged - Have an indented, smaller rectangle on the top.

Perforated - Has holes through from top to bottom.

Click the link below to watch how bricks are made!

Thanks for reading!

Have a nice day. :)

Concrete

What is concrete? 

  Concrete is a building material that consisted of hard,chemically inert substance which known as aggregate (different type of sand and gravel) bonded together with cement, commonly Portland cement and water.The cement, which act as the binder are mixed with the aggregate and later on water is added to this dry composite  then solidified through a chemical process called hydration.   

                    

Concrete

                                                                          

Click the link below to watch how concretes are made!

    Concrete is widely used for making architectural structures, foundations, brick/block walls, pavements, bridges/overpasses, motorways/roads, runways, parking structures, dams, pools/reservoirs, pipes, footings for gates, fences and poles and even boats. Famous concrete structures include the Burj Khalifa (world's tallest building), the Hoover Dam, the Panama Canal and the Roman Pantheon.

     Concrete technology was known by the Ancient Romans and was widely used within the Roman Empire. After the Empire passed, use of concrete became scarce until the technology was re-pioneered in the mid-18th century.

      The environmental impact of concrete is a complex mixture of not entirely negative effects; while concrete is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, recycling of concrete is increasingly common in structures that have reached the end of their life. Structures made of concrete can have a long service life. As concrete has a high thermal mass and very low permeability, it can make for energy efficient housing.

Introduction of Building Materials

What is building material? 

   Building material is any materials which is used for the purpose of construction. There are naturally occurring substances and also man-made products which are used for construction these days. The most common natural substances used are such as sand (silicon dioxide), limestone (calcium carbonate), stones, wood and metals whereas the commonly man-used products are glass, bricks, concrete and blocks. 

Natural Substances:

Sand

Limestone

Stones

Wood

Metals

Man-made Products:

Glass

Bricks

Concrete

Blocks

   As an architecture student, we need to know about properties of the building materials and understand the purpose and usage of the particular material in constructing a building. The main properties of building materials are density and specific gravity, strength, optical properties, electrical properties, thermal properties and insulation, acoustic properties, deformations, deterioration and appearance. By having this proper knowledge, we are able to select the appropriate building materials to be used in constructing different buildings.

Thanks for reading :)